On paper Gunner Stockton did everything right against Western Kentucky. He threw five touchdowns and led Georgia on touchdown drives all six possessions he played in while only throwing three incompletions and not turning the ball over. This is as good as anyone could've realistically expected from him, but Kirby Smart was still upset at one thing he did.
"He (Stockton) took some hits today that I don't want him to take," Smart said via dawgpost.com. "He took two or three. One, he probably could, could have controlled it and, and, and done something about it, and, uh, the others he couldn't. He's tough. He'll stand in there and not flinch, but he's played well."
The last thing Georgia needs is for Stockton to get hurt. Neither of Georgia's backup QBs have looked particularly ready to play in an SEC game, so one injury to Stockton could derail their season. So Smart was upset that Stockton took so many hits against a team like Western Kentucky because they just weren't needed in order for Georgia to win.
Gunner Stockton's toughness makes him special, but he needs to learn to control it
Stockton's toughness is what separates him from other quarterbacks. His passing game looks to be improved this season, but there are still other quarterbacks who are better passers than him. It would be difficult for anyone to find a quarterback whose a better runner and is tougher than Stockton though.
Kirby Smart doesn't want him to stop running the ball and being willing to take hits, he just wants him to be smart about it. He wants Stockton to know when it makes sense to take a hit and when he needs to avoid it, and against a team like Western Kentucky it was never worth it to take a hit.
Stockton didn't need to play his best game in order to beat Western Kentucky. He still shined while he was in the game, but he didn't need to be a dual-threat quarterback to win this game. Instead of running and taking unnecessary hits Smart would've rather him stand in the pocket and let their running backs run the ball. For the most part that is what Stockton did, but Smart is upset that he took one too many hits.
There's a reason Stockton didn't run the ball one time week one against Tennessee State, and it's the same reason Smart didn't want him taking hits against Western Kentucky. Georgia didn't need him to be a runner and take hits to win these games. If Georgia scored a few less points because he was being cautious to preserve his health then that is just fine, there's a time and a place to be tough and that will begin this week with their SEC opener at Arkansas.
Kirby Smart doesn't want Stockton to change who he is, he just wants him to be a little smarter and keep himself healthy especially in a game they didn't need him to win.
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